Late winter/early spring is the time of year when those of us with the competitive urge start planning for the upcoming season of competitions. Top of mind is generally conditioning, schedule planning, and diet to ensure our horses are in peak performance shape come spring. But let’s not forget about the importance of addressing our horses from the inside out to make sure that there aren’t underlying issues that are going to rear their ugly head once competition season arrives. As many of you know, Dr. Penttila competes at a high level on her barrel horse so we’re going to share with you some tips and tricks from our veterinary team on how we keeps her horses in top form. In this post, we are going to discuss the importance of having routine dental procedures for our performance horses and our recommended vaccine schedule.
Dental Examinations
A dental examination and float is a critical part of preventative medicine and helps to keep our performance horses comfortable and responsive in the bit. Sharp enamel points on their teeth can cause severe cheek and tongue ulcers if not addressed on a routine basis. If they have large excess transverse ridges, hooks or ramps present, it can prevent them from collecting appropriately or moving their heads freely. Any restriction in movement or pain can stop horses from performing at their best. Horses are prey animals, which means that they are often very stoic and may not give any obvious indications of their discomfort. Oral exams also allow us to identify any issues, such as fractured teeth, so they can be addressed before they affect performance or weight. Finally, regular dental maintenance ensures that our equine partners are able to adequately digest the feed that fuels them during the performance season.
Vaccination Schedule
We recommend that performance horses be covered annually for both the core diseases carried in the soil/by mosquitos and the airborne diseases transmitted between horses. The best time of year to vaccinate your horses is in the springtime, prior to the start of the mosquito season. The seven main diseases that your performance horse should be covered for are:
Eastern Encephalitis Virus (EEV)
Western Encephalitis Virus (WEV)
Tetanus Virus
West Nile Virus (WVV)
Equine Influenza Virus (EIV, also known as Equine Flu)
Equine Herpes Virus 1 and 4 (EHV, also known as Rhinopneumonitis)
Strangles
We would also consider Rabies a core vaccine for any horse that travels a lot.
These diseases often have very significant financial, performance, and emotional consequences if your horse contracts them. Luckily, the harmful effects of these infections can be prevented or reduced by vaccinating your horse appropriately. For maximal protection against EIV/EHV, consider boostering your horse for these diseases at 6 months following the annual vaccinations.
Since some horses can be sore and a bit under the weather for a day or two after vaccines as their body responds to the vaccine, we generally recommend doing vaccines and dental procedures in the same annual spring herd health visit at least two weeks prior to the first competition.
See some of our other posts for more information regarding dentistry and vaccination: https://www.burwashequine.ca/blog/2014/4/25/a-guide-to-equine-dental-care
https://www.burwashequine.ca/blog/2015/4/2/vaccination-faq-what-are-common-side-effects-of-vaccination-what-can-i-expect-after-my-horse-is-vaccinated